Evening Brief: Wednesday, August 3, 2016

Tonight’s Evening Brief brought to you by the Humanitarian Coalition, working together to provide vital supplies such as water, food, blankets, shelter and medicine to Syrian refugees.
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The Lead:

We begin tonight with better late than never. After years of public appeals, protests and fruitless pressure on the Harper government for a national inquiry into the social trauma and statistical anomaly of missing and murdered indigenous women, the families of the victims and the activists who fought for them were victorious today. The Trudeau government, acting on a campaign promise, unveiled the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls today in the Great Hall of the Museum of Nature in Gatineau.

Judge Marion Buller will lead five commissioners, who will have the same powers as any court in a civil case to enforce the attendance of witnesses and compel them to give evidence. Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould, herself an indigenous woman, “appeared to be nearly overcome with emotion at one point as she looked out across a room filled with the family members (above) of missing and murdered women,” reports CP’s Kristy Kirkup.

Conservative leadership candidate Maxime Bernier laid out a four-point plan on Wednesday to reform Canadian air travel, including the privatization of airports and the elimination of foreign ownership restrictions for commercial airlines. Our BJ Siekierski has the details.

Prince Edward Island’s Owen Parkhouse is making a unique bid to become the province’s next senator — with long days of campaigning door-to-door for support. CP has that piece.